Moments Unseen
by Paige242
Summary: Missing moments and scenes from season two. Part Two: Zac finds himself feeling protective after Mimmi tells him about Chris. (Post "The Job")
1. Carly Knows

_A/N—I am hoping to expand this into a series of one-shots that fill in the gaps or follow up on various season two episodes. They might be out of order and vary in length, but I hope they are enjoyable._

 _First off, the aftermath of "The Truth About Evie"_

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"I just have one question." Carly began. "Do the tails come in different colours?"

The blonde's face broke out into a wide smile and Evie quickly followed suit. As the two girls embraced, Zac let out a deep sigh, relieved that things had not been worse.

Despite their worries and uncertainties, it seemed like Carly was willing to keep their secret.

And while that was undoubtedly good, Zac realized that he was still quite uncomfortable with this entire situation. He was glad the Evie was happy, of course, but he found himself looking down at the table awkwardly in an attempt to avoid Carly's penetrating gaze.

He hadn't wanted her to know.

He didn't want anybody to know.

But, unfortunately, there was no turning back now.

When Carly had discovered them at the house earlier that day, she had been too shocked and angry to really ask questions.

" _You have tails. You're merpeople."_ She had stuttered, wide eyed, before moving on to tend to her frozen boyfriend.

They had all nodded in conformation, and Evie and Carly had exchanged some tense words about betrayal and secrets. Once Cam was well enough to walk, she had whisked him away and none of them had been sure what she was really thinking or what she was planning to do.

It was a relief to see her smile now, and Zac instantly got the sense that she was happy to be let in on this "exciting" secret. Evie, clearly, was excited too—and he could understand why. It had been hard for her to keep this from her best friend.

But, while he was pleased for Evie's sake, he could not quash the feeling that it was not really her secret to tell. He had meant what he had said earlier that day—the fewer people that knew the better, and telling her meant putting them all at risk.

The fact that Evie didn't really seem to understand that, and was thrilled to tell her friend the truth, seemed to highlight a fundamental difference between them.

Evie was a land person who had fallen under a spell. It was a big enough secret to keep, but telling Carly wouldn't change the way her friend saw her—she was still Evie McLaren, a regular girl who had accidentally gained a tail and some cool powers. As much as he hated the thought of it, there was a good chance that she would change back one day and, for her, this was just an unexpected adventure.

Of course she wanted her friend to be a part of that.

He had felt the same way when he had told Cam.

But now, things were different for him. If he had known what he knew now, he probably wouldn't have told anyone about himself. What had once seemed like an exciting secret now made him feel nauseous and embarrassed and he had cringed when Carly had looked at him in his true form.

And that was the crux, really.

It was _his_ true form.

He was a merman.

And Evie, despite the enchantment, was still human.

He had found himself agreeing vehemently with Mimmi, Ondina and Sirena when they had debated telling the girl about their secret and he had, initially, been surprised that Evie did not side with the rest of them. He realized now, however, that it made sense. It was _their_ world that was at risk ( _his_ world), not hers.

He wasn't like her— he was one of them now.

And while Evie would never intentionally put any of them in danger, he knew that she did not understand what it felt like to be an actual merperson.

To be truly and fundamentally different.

To his left, he heard Evie giggle as Carly pulled a seat up to their table.

Still grinning, both girls leaned forward and he could tell that more secrets were about to be discussed.

Drawing a deep breath, he braced himself as best he could.

"There are only two tail colours, as far as I know." He heard Evie say, her voice lowering. "Redish bronze for mermaids, and blue for mermen."

Carly nodded eagerly and her eyes flickered towards Zac, as if expecting him to share their enthusiasm.

He did his best not to cringe again.

"Still, that's super cool!" She whispered, glancing over her shoulder to check for eavesdroppers. Thankfully, the café was nearly empty and David had disappeared into the back room. "So, how did it happen, then?" Carly began again, looking back towards Evie. "Cam told me a few things…something about a pool on Mako Island…? He said I should ask you guys for the details."

The brunette nodded as Zac clenched his fist under the table. He supposed it was fruitless to hold anything back now—after all, she was dating Cam and he knew everything. But Zac still hated the idea of telling anyone about Mako's secrets. He barely understood the place himself, and it didn't seem like something that land people needed to know about.

He had nothing against Carly personally—he liked her, and they got on well. But he could not stop himself from thinking that this was none of her business.

Evie, however, seemed to disagree.

"Yeah." She started, still smiling. "There is a place called the moon pool on the northern part of the island. If land people are in it during the full moon then they get powers, and a tail. I was there a few months ago and, well, I guess I'm a part-time mermaid for now."

Carly's eyes widened and Zac wondered if she was already contemplating a midnight trip of her own.

Most girls his age had been raised on a steady diet of Disney nonsense and he wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to live out some sort of childhood fantasy.

If only she knew what it was really like, he thought with a note of bitterness. The constant hiding, worry and fear. Always feeling like a freak. Not to mention crazy pod leaders and a war-torn culture that had kept mermaids and mermen apart for centuries.

"And that's what happened to you too, Zac?"

The question sent a jolt down his spine and the boy felt his heart rate increase.

He wished that he could walk away and ignore her questioning glance, but he knew that that would only make Evie upset. And Carly was going to find out the full truth sooner or later anyway. Evie or Cam would tell her.

There was no turning back now.

"No." He stated, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm the real deal."

Evie sent him a sympathetic look (at least she realized this was hard for him) and Carly's mouth fell open in shock.

"Wait, what?" She stuttered, blue eyes even wider than before. "What does that mean?"

Zac let out a deep breath and readied himself. This was the first time he had shared his secret since he had found out the truth about his origins, and this confession was proving even more difficult than it had when he had told Cam and Evie.

Everything was so much more real now—it wasn't just a game.

This was _who he was_.

And he already felt so vulnerable and exposed.

"I did fall into the moon pool." He clarified, trying to ignore the lump in his throat and the flip-flopping sensation in his stomach. "But that just broke the spell my biological mother put on me when I was a baby. I was born a merman. I am a merman."

He had never said it so bluntly before and, in truth, the words came easier than he had expected. He was still completely mortified, of course, but at least he had managed to say what needed to be said without breaking down or storming away.

It was progress, he supposed.

There was no way he could have managed this a month ago.

"So…wait." Carly began, clearly struggling to process this. "You're adopted? And you're actually a merman?" She paused. "There are _actual_ merpeople out there?"

She looked back and forth between Evie and Zac, the shock evident on her face.

Zac looked down at the table, once again avoiding her gaze. He had already seen enough to know that she was looking at him differently now. Carly was giving him the same look everyone had given him when they had first found out.

A look that seemed to say _'wow, you're not who I thought you were and you truly are a freak.'_

He had hated it then, and he hated it now.

"Yes." He said, hoping that clear answers would cause this exchange to end sooner rather than later. "I'm adopted, I'm 100% merman, and Mimmi, Sirena and Ondina are real merpeople too. So were Lyla and Nixie, for that matter."

"Mimmi is actually Zac's biological sister." Evie cut in before placing a gentle hand on top of his. He was glad, once again, that she seemed to recognize that this was hard for him to do.

But even Evie's support and understanding did not make this a more pleasant experience.

It had already been an extremely stressful day, and he feared that he was nearing his breaking point.

He didn't want to stick around for Carly's next barrage of questions.

"Yes, and speaking of Mimmi." He started, sensing that he had found a way out. "I told her I'd meet up with her by five, so I should probably head out. You guys can chat away about all of this without me."

Zac attempted to smile and appear nonchalant, but he had a feeling he failed miserably. Evie shot him a look of concern, and Carly continued to stare with an uncomfortable amount of awe.

"Alright then, see you later." Evie said hesitantly, before standing up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. He returned the gesture and nodded before offering Carly a quick wave and heading for the door.

As soon as he was out of sight, which was really only two feet away, he leaned back against the café's outer wall and attempted to steady his breath.

That had been stressful, and he needed a moment to calm down.

Before he could completely regain his composure, however, the sound of a whispered conversation on the other side of the door reached his ears.

"Oh my god, Evie, you're dating an _actual_ merman!?" He heard Carly exclaim, her hushed voice laced with excitement. "That is totally cool. It's like a real life fairy tale!"

Zac rolled his eyes, not thrilled to be seen as a novelty. Thankfully, however, the sound of Evie's reply lightened his mood.

"I'd love Zac no matter what." She stated, repeating what she had said to him many times before. "But I'm not going to lie, it's pretty cool. Plus, he's super hot with a tail—it's like he's finally found his element."

He heard the sound of more giggles and, with a slight smirk on his face, he began to walk down the pier.

Though he was a bit curious to hear what else Evie had to say, he didn't want to betray her trust by listening in. And, while he was happy to hear that she found him attractive in every form, he did not want to hear her talk about his unique situation more than he had to.

He already knew that Evie thought it was "cool" that he came from a whole other world, and had a whole other family in the sea—but, despite appearances, he was still struggling to embrace it.

He had accepted Mimmi, and he knew that what he had discovered that night in the merman chamber had been the truth. But he wasn't ready to celebrate it or explain it cheerfully.

The grim reality was that his life had been a lie.

So much had changed during the past year and he had not even let Evie in on his darkest secrets. Like the fact that he constantly yearned for the sea now and had been unable to ignore it's call ever since the seventh moon cycle. Or that he only truly felt calm and balanced—only truly felt like _himself_ — when he had a tail. Everything except seafood tasted disgustingly bland to him, and his powers seemed to be growing with each passing day.

He knew, now, that he didn't belong on land.

He never really had.

And in his view, there was nothing "cool" about that.

But, despite his struggles and inner fears, he did his best to keep things as "normal" as he could.

He wanted to stay in the place he had always known, and he wanted to be with his family and friends—no matter how uncomfortable he sometimes felt.

As much as it had all made him cringe, he did realize that telling Carly was not the worst thing that could happen and he was grateful that she was fascinated rather than appalled. She wasn't going to betray them and, despite the awkward stares he would probably have to endure for the next several weeks, things would probably go back to normal fairly soon.

Well, normal by his standards, anyway.

Zac stopped as he reached the edge of the pier and looked down towards the lapping waves. They seemed to be beckoning him. Calling him. And, after taking one final glimpse towards the café, he pushed off the ledge and ducked gracefully below the water.

As the transformation overtook him, he let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

For the first time that day, he felt calm and collected and he took off towards Rita's with a powerful kick of his tail. Mimmi would be waiting for him there and he would finally be free from prying human eyes. They could race through the open sea and dive deep into the blue depths, just as they had always been meant to.

He could finally be himself, without fear or embarrassment.

After such an eventful and mortifying afternoon, that was all he truly wanted.


	2. Brotherly Duty

_A/N This is set after "The Job" (3x07, according to Netflix)_

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"What's wrong? Why do you look so gloomy?"

Zac had just surfaced in Rita's underground pool to discover his sister leaning pensively against a nearby ledge. Usually, her face broke into a warm smile whenever she saw him approach—but today she did not even look in his direction and her eyes looked glassy and distant.

It was difficult to tell what she was thinking from the odd expression on her face, but he could instantly sense that something was wrong.

"What?" She stammered, seemingly alarmed by his presence as she snapped out of her forlorn trance. "Oh, nothing."

Unconvinced, Zac swam towards her and anchored himself next to her on the ledge. Perhaps it was because of the bond they shared, but he could instantly tell that she was lying. Sadness and despondency practically seemed to emanate off of her, and the concerned brother had no intention of leaving until he knew why.

With a small sigh, Zac tried again. "Come on, Mimmi." He started, his voice softer than before. "You can talk to me. Maybe I can help with…whatever it is."

There was a short pause but, before the boy had a chance to try to coax it out of her again, Mimmi began to speak.

"There is nothing you can do." She noted letting out a much longer sigh of her own. "I guess some things just aren't meant to be."

Zac furrowed his brow. She was being a bit cryptic, but he had a feeling that he knew where this was heading.

"Is this about a boy?" He asked, trying to ignore the strange prickle that passed through him as he spoke. He wasn't sure why, but he had suddenly begun to feel nervous, suspicious, and a tiny bit on edge. It was an odd combination of feelings and he was surprised that the mere thought of his sister with a guy had sparked that in him.

He was still getting used to this. All of this.

But, apparently, he was already more protective than he realized.

"If some guy mistreated you, then—" Zac started, his voice rising with every syllable. But Mimmi cut him off quickly.

"No, no." She assured him with a hint of exasperation in her voice. "It's not like that."

She paused again, her tail twitching a few times beneath the surface.

"It's just…I met this guy. Chris. And I thought that maybe there would be something between us." She began, speaking faster than before. Apparently, now that she had decided to share, she was going to share everything. "He's so cute—dark hair, dreamy blue eyes…well, anyway. I was really enjoying his company. And I thought maybe I'd found someone, like Ondina has." Mimmi hesitated, sending her brother a slightly uncomfortable glance before continuing. "He even kissed me yesterday. Which was _amazing_."

Zac nodded slowly, trying to ignore his growing annoyance. So far, everything sounded fine—but the fact remained that his sister was sad because of this mysterious "Chris" fellow. Clearly, he had done something to hurt her and Zac felt the sudden urge to track the bloke down.

He wanted to know what "Chris" had done…and, if it wasn't good, Zac knew that he would not be able to let it go easily.

"Okay." Zac started, trying his best to keep his voice steady. "Then what happened."

Mimmi looked off into the distance once more before letting out yet another wistful sigh. "For a moment, it all seemed perfect. But now he's going to San Diego to train dolphins. And I'm happy for him, because this is what he has always wanted to do…but I still hate that he has to leave." She paused. "And to make it worse, I'm the reason he got into the program in the first place. He wasn't hitting it off with the dolphins until we went swimming in the dolphin enclosure together yesterday. I showed him how to relax and communicate. Dr. Ross was so impressed with his progress that he accepted him into the program."

"Wait." Zac jumped in, his eyes widening as she spoke. It seemed like the story was missing a few elements but what he had managed to piece together was rather unsettling.

He wasn't sure why, but when Mimmi had admitted that it was a guy problem, he had assumed there was another merman in town.

Apparently, however, she had met this guy at her new job. Which probably meant…

"Chris is human?" He asked, meeting his sister's gaze.

Mimmi nodded.

"But then…you went swimming with a _human_!? A land boy that you just met? You told him everything already?" Zac tried to steady his breath and maintain his calm as much as he could, but the thought of his sister being so reckless made that difficult to do.

It was strange, really. The worry and anger that was currently swirling inside of him was stronger than he had anticipated and he was particularly surprised that he had said the word "human" with such fear and detachment.

It wasn't that he disliked humans, of course. His parents were human, and so were most of his friends.

But, he realized with unease, at some point during the last couple of months he had come to feel a bit of distance between "us" and "them." And he didn't count himself as one of "them" anymore.

The land people he knew and loved were all fine in his books, and he liked land people in general…but he was very uncomfortable with the thought of some stranger knowing about their secret.

He felt protective of Mimmi.

And protective of their world.

"Are you sure he isn't going to tell anyone?" He stated again, the panic and anger in his tone. "You should have waited! I mean, Sirena hasn't even told David yet, and at least we all know him. This is—"

"Spare me the lecture." Mimmi cut him off again and shot him the sort of annoyance that only a sibling could muster. "I only swam with him for a minute, and I made him keep his eyes closed. He doesn't know anything."

Zac let out a breath.

That was a relief, although it still seemed like a rather reckless thing to do.

"Good." He replied, his voice still laced with disapproval. "But you were lucky. If he hadn't kept his eyes closed, you might be locked up in a tank at the marine park right now. Or worse."

"Geez, Zac." His sister shot back, pushing herself off the ledge and allowing herself to float a few feet away. Clearly, she was not pleased with his reaction and she was not going to admit wrongdoing without a fight. "I didn't expect you to be so uptight about it. I don't know why you're assuming that the worst would happen if Chris had found out. Humans aren't all bad. You should know that better than anyone." She shot him a pointed look before continuing. "You grew up with humans. And technically, you're dating a human—even if she has a tail now. Plus you told Cam about everything as soon as you found out."

"Yeah, well, that was before."

"Before what?"

His response had slipped out before he had a chance to think about it and he paused for a moment as he mulled over what he had just said.

When he had told Cam, and Evie, about what he was things _had_ been different. He thought he was under a spell, and he didn't know how complex and dangerous the mer-world could be.

But if he had known the truth from the beginning, he was certain that things would not have played out in the same way.

"That was before I knew who—what— I really am." He answered, his voice softer than before.

Sensing his hesitation, Mimmi's face softened as well. She knew where he was going with this, and she knew that things were still difficult for him. Despite their current disagreement, he was grateful for her compassion.

"When I told Cam, I didn't even know that there were other merpeople out there. I just thought it was a crazy, unbelievable, accident and that I was the only one." He paused, his mind drifting back to a time when things had been simpler. That period had still been scary and unnerving, but it was nothing compared to the events of the past few months. As the saying went, ignorance was bliss—and it had been much easier to think that he was under a spell than it was to realize that his entire life had been a lie.

"And I had to tell Evie, because she saw me like this." He started again, gesturing towards his muscular blue tail. "That was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Even though I didn't know the truth back then."

"So," Mimmi began, curious. "Are you trying to say that you wouldn't have told anyone—not even Cam or Evie—if you had known that you were a real merman all along?"

Zac hesitated.

He didn't immediately know the answer, and he needed a moment to think it through. In truth, he liked the Cam and Evie knew—it was nice to be open with them and it was comforting to still be himself around people he had always known and cared for. He felt like he was hiding all the time now, and he loved that he didn't have to with them.

But, on the other hand, he knew that being aware of the truth would have made it _much_ harder to confess. Admitting you had been enchanted was one thing, but admitting you were part of a whole other species was quite another. Everything seemed much more dangerous now that he knew and, although he did not like to admit it, he would have been more hesitant to trust _anyone_ if he had known all along.

"I guess I would have told them. Eventually." He began slowly. "But it would have been even harder."

"Fair enough." The mermaid replied with a curt nod.

"And," Zac continued, his tail moving gently back and forth beneath him. "I worry a lot more now in general. About everything. I feel a lot more responsibility now, and I want us all to be safe. The thought of you putting yourself at risk with someone we hardly know…well, I can't say that I like that."

Mimmi bit her lip, and Zac had a feeling that (deep down, at least) she knew that she had put herself in a bit of danger.

Perhaps next time, she would be a little more careful.

"Look, Mimmi," He started again, pushing off the ledge and swimming towards her. "I'm sorry for telling you off, but I worry about you, okay? I'm your brother, and I want to protect you."

To his surprise, Mimmi let out a small chuckle before splashing him playfully with a flick of her copper tail.

"I'm touched." She said, with a lighthearted smirk. "But you don't need to worry so much. I'm tough. And—" Mimmi turned to face him, her expression growing more serious. "Looking out for me doesn't mean criticising every guy I'm interested in, okay? I might see Chris again when he gets back and, one day, I might even tell him the truth. _I'll_ know when the time is right, and I want you to trust my judgement."

Zac opened his mouth to protest before quickly thinking better of it.

As much as he wanted to berate any guy that came close to his sister with a million questions and ensure that he was a worthy candidate for her affections, he knew that she was right.

Mimmi knew what she was doing, and it would be condescending of him not to trust her.

She didn't want to put herself, or any of them, in danger. And she was perfectly capable of making her own choices.

She didn't need her brother to fight her battles, no matter how much he might want to.

Zac ran his hand though his dark hair and looked sheepishly down at the calm water.

"Yeah. You're right." He conceded. "Sorry…I'm still not used to this whole 'having a sister' thing. I feel so…protective, all of a sudden. I guess I let that get the better of me."

Mimmi smiled.

"It's okay. That's kind of sweet, actually." She began, kicking her tail until she was facing him once more. "I'm not used to having a brother yet, either. And I know you're just trying to look out for me."

And with that, she threw her arms around him for a quick, unexpected, hug. For the first time since her had arrived, he felt like the Mimmi he knew and cared for was finally starting to re-emerge.

"I probably shouldn't judge him until I meet him- and I _am_ sorry to hear that Chris is leaving." Zac said gently as they drew apart.

His sister nodded. "Thanks. He'll be back in three months, though. It feels like ages right now, but we'll see how things go then."

"I can show you how to stay in touch." Zac offered. "That will help."

It occurred to him that Mimmi probably didn't know about email, or any other form of online communication. She had Evie's old computer now, but she mostly used it to look up information about land items she was unfamiliar with. She had discovered Wikipedia, but not much else.

"He probably has Facebook. You can keep in touch over that."

Mimmi furrowed her brow in confusion and Zac could not hold back a small chuckle.

"Why would Chris have a book of faces?" She asked, completely confused. "Whose faces are they?"

"Let's dry off and go inside." Zac suggested with a grin. "It's a computer thing—I can show you on the laptop."

"Okay." Mimmi agreed, sending back an identical grin.

As they moved back towards the edge of the pool Zac felt a growing sense of calm. There was still a lot to get used to, and it would probably be a while before he knew how to handle all of the "sister" situations that were bound to come his way.

And yet, despite all of the chaos and uncertainty, he was grateful to have Mimmi in his life. Even though he had only known her for a few months, he realized that he already loved her and would do anything to keep her safe.

He would be there when she needed a shoulder to cry on or a friend to laugh with.

He would stand by her side through thick and thin.

And he would never allow anyone—land-boy or merman—to break her heart.


End file.
